Brad Marchand loses it and jumps Florida Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt

The Boston Bruins and the Florida Panthers clashed for the second time this season already on Monday, and after some Stanley Cup Playoffs battles in recent years, it's safe to say the intensity in this rivalry is rising.

That continued during Monday's clash, as captain Brad Marchand unleashed a brutal attack on Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt as the veteran was simply trying to stand up for his teammate who had been run over in a very physical way.

Unsurprisingly, many fans on social media were not okay with the way Marchand went about this, as he attacked a defenseless Schmidt who was just standing up for his teammate, taking him to the ice and pummelling him without warning.

Over the years, Marchand has built up the reputation as being one of the league's most hated players, and while those within the organization love it, opposing fans certainly react every time he does something on the ice. It's highly unlikely that Marchand will be hearing anything from the league after this play, but with some very physical players on the opposing side, it may not be the last we see of this during this brutal Atlantic Division rivalry.

The Panthers would go on to pick up the 4-3 victory in this one despite missing captain Aleksander Barkov, and with the Bruins now back to 2-2-0 on the year, they'll need to regroup as they look to get back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2024/25.